"You is smart, you is kind, you is important”

 

How we think and feel can affect our emotional, mental and physical health. From phrases to song lyrics, books and words of affirmations can help you get through life’s challenges. Life is not a bed of roses yes, as it’s commonly said but you can’t let your situations define who you are or how you respond to life.

Good mental health is one-step to being confident and positive. It can be hard to remember this when you feel like a shell of the person you once were. You are capable of overcoming so much more than you think. Let’s look at some positive mantras that can help you out when you start having a negative mindset.

o   “All is well”

o   “One day at a time”

o   “Say you can or you can’t. Either way, you are right”

o   “You is smart, you is kind, you is important”

This is my favourite mantra and I repeat it over and over to calm my thoughts and reinforce my self-worth.

o   “Live in the moment. Appreciate the now.”

o   “Let it be messy until it’s not”

o   “Breath”

o   “This is hard but I’m going to be ok”

o   “It’s ok not to be ok”

o   I will allow positivity in my life

o   I open myself up for growth that will make my potential greater

o   I am enough. What I have is currently enough

 

Whatever you choose to be your mantra is all up to you. Take a deep breath, Go for walks, Eat healthy foods, Battle your fears and all will be well.

Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry have collaborated for a documentary series called The Me You Can’t See which begins streaming on May 21^st 2021. This is in effort to bring mental illness in the forefront. This, she says is in the hope that  after watching the series people will be empowered to have conversations and reach out to friends and be able to receive the messages with grace and empathy. In the series she says, you’ll hear from celebrities like Lady Gaga plus a lot more who have been dealing with their own mental wellness. Let’s all hope that we can get something from it as we await for the series.

Books and essays on mental health are important too. Real life stories from people provide a full insight on how people have and are still suffering from mental related illnesses. Urvashi Bahuguna’s ‘No Straight Was Ever Made: Essays on Mental Health’ in a chapter on family in her book she writes, “Deep within, I know I am the one who does not leave. I am the one who knows the honest answer to the question, ‘Where are you from?’ I am from them”. In this luminously book of essays, the theme of family, of how it shapes us and the unending conflicts and resolutions that get woven into its very fabric is a recurring one.

Other books for mental health awareness

·       How It Feels to Float by Helena Fox

A story about love, grief and inter-generational mental illness, exploring the hard and beautiful places loss can take us.

·       Turtles All The Way Down by John Green

The novel tells the story of Aza, a young woman navigating daily existence within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.

·       The Valley and the Flood by Rebecca Mahoney

A captivating story about the power of grief and memory, and the journey toward reconciling who you think you’ve become with the person you’ve been all along.

·       Flyy Girls #2- Micah: The Good Girl by Ashley Woodfolk

Micah has been struggling with growing anxiety ever since she lost her brother a year ago. The novel follows her journey to coping with panic attacks with the help of her therapist and friends.

·       Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram

This is for anyone who’s ever felt not good enough then met a friend who makes them feel so much better.

·       Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour

A modern ghost story about trauma and survival.

 

When you are mentally strong, you goals become clearer. Have some self-care reminders. Remember:

§  If it feels wrong don’t do it

§  Don’t conform to other’s expectations

§  Trust your inner voice, always

§  Slow down consciously. No guilt

§  Let go of what you cannot control

Let it be our personal initiative to take care of our mental health and that of our friends, family and everyone around us and we will surely have a healthy society.